JACKSON — Mark Coffey of Natchez has been awarded a $4,400 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission.

This grant is a portion of the $1.64 million in grants the commission will award in 2010-2011 and will be used to make the works of Coffey more available for public viewing.

The grants are made possible by continued funding from the Mississippi state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

“The artists across Mississippi continue to use their talents to showcase the value of the arts to the state. Their creation of art and participation in local events and activities helps to ensure the economic success of their community and the state as a whole. The Mississippi Arts Commission is proud to support their efforts,” said Malcolm White, executive director of MAC.

Coffey began his career in photography in 1972 when, at 19, he was hired as the photographer for The Natchez Democrat.

After a couple of years at the newspaper and winning awards from The Associated Press, he decided the study and work of photography was a worthy path to follow.

From studies at the University of California Berkeley to seminars in Jackson, Dallas and New Orleans and more recently, webinars online, the study and practice of photography still challenges his skill and inspires his creativity. Decades after the start of his career

Coffey said in his artist’s narrative on the fellowship application, “I still look for that special moment in time to capture. Hopefully it will result in an image that is pleasing to me and possibly others, too. I will continue to work toward producing thought evoking images that create responses from viewers that share symbolic visions that I had or, even better, reveal a personal meaning that I had never considered. The viewer’s mind can be one of the most powerful tools in my bag.”

His photos may be seen at the new location of ArtsNatchez Gallery at 425 Main St.